Category: Sean Aiken

Beware: If you don’t live the Life that you want to live, you may not get a second chance!

Mishra: the tea leaf plucker in Assam

Mishra: the “sevak” at the Golden Temple

This morning’s ‘The Indian Express’ (TNIE) has a fascinating story. The headline screams: “In pursuit of happiness former techie does 28 jobs in 28 states in 28 weeks”. Alexina Correya reports from Kochi that Jubanashwa Mishra, 29, a former engineer with Tata Consultancy Services in Chennai, decided to “seek what gave him joy”. So, he quit his “stable, paying job” and set up a website ( www.oneweekjob.com/india ) announcing his plan to travel all over India, across the 28 states, working at a new job each week, over 28 weeks between May and December 2013. He invited prospective employers to donate the wages due to him to an NGO he supports, Goonj ( www.goonj.org ). He actually pulled off this incredible idea! He says he was inspired by Vancouver-based Sean Aiken who did 52 jobs over 52 weeks across North America in 2008. Mishra says Sean’s struggle to answer the question “What should I do with my Life?” got him (Mishra) thinking too. He told TNIE’s Correya that he has worked as a tea leaf plucker in Assam, as an emotional support consultant in Karnataka, as a hardware store assistant in Nagaland, as a photographer in Haryana, as a river rafting guide in Kashmir, as a groundnut/sundal seller in (Chennai) Tamil Nadu, as a cremation assistant in (Varanasi) Uttar Pradesh, as a contraception campaigner in rural Bihar, as a mountain garbage remover in Himachal Pradesh, as a pre-school teacher in Andhra Pradesh, as a film executive in a Bollywood production in (Mumbai) Maharashtra, as a TRP analyst in Odhisha, as a house boat driver in Kerala, as a strategist at a construction firm in Madhya Pradesh and as a sevak (volunteer) at the Golden Temple (Amritsar) in Punjab, among many other jobs! (See some great pictures in UK’s Daily Mail here Daily Mail Jubanashwa Mishra Story) Mishra says parents put undue pressure on their children to follow the beaten path of securing an engineering or medicine degree. He says he too was “living someone’s else’s dream” until he decided to follow his own. Mishra says he has discovered that people who live their passion are the happiest. He told TNIE that he found his stint as a pre-school teacher in Andhra Pradesh the most “fulfilling” and plans to take it up full-time. He is currently writing a book on his 28-week experience and is also a motivational speaker.

Mishra: the “verkadalai-sundal” seller in Chennai

Mishra’s story and experience is as engaging as it is inspiring. Surely several of us would like to experience Life to the fullest – trying out different things like Mishra did and then choosing what gives us joy. But parental pressures, financial considerations, the responsibility of raising a family or societal influences prevent us from taking the first step. But if you, like Sean, ask yourself “What do I want to do with my Life?” – the answer can have a profound impact on what you “really” want to do. It is a Life-changing question.

There are no compulsions to live Life the Mishra way though. Or even live it any one way. It’s a free Life. You can even choose to ignore this opportunity called Life and be content with “earning a wage while doing a job”. But please be content and be happy. Don’t complain then that you had to make sacrifices for your family. Or that you are not happy in your career. To find fulfilment in whatever you do you must either love what you do or do what you love. It’s as simple as that. Hope you make an intelligent choice. Because you live only once – and remember, the offer of this lifetime is closing fast, faster than you can even imagine! Pictures Courtesy: Jubanashwa Mishra/Internet

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